TTAPS FOR NUCLEAR ESKIMOS

Apparently Science, the weekly which denies (and even ridicules) the existence of Yellow Rain, will publish the "Ttaps"(initials of the authors) report on the global effects of nuclear war in January. If the authors note the comparison with volcanic eruptions of 10,000 times greater energies at all, they will probably seek refuge in the chemistry of smoke and its physical particle size (what else is there left?) to save their exotic hunch of a nuclear winter caused by dust and smoke.

But far from putting their scary-tale on scientific ground, this will violate yet another scientific principle: The burden of proof is on those who challenge presently accepted knowledge. It is a sound principle: If it were to be disregarded, I could claim that the galaxies might fly apart if Carl Sagan blew his nose on the island of Madagascar, and then scream "you have no right to disregard the possibility of this holocaust."

The example is exaggerated only in the size of energy ratio (nose blowing vs. galactic gravitation), not in the principle of ignoring, or explaning by tenuous arguments, an outlandish discrepancy in energy and past experience.

What the nuclear eskimos are engaged in is not science, but propaganda, scaremongering and hysteria.